What Microphones Should I Buy? A Mic Guide

12:38 |

Monday
05/may/2014

You’ve found your band and you’ve learned a few tunes. You’ve also played in your bedroom for hours on hours. You are ready to try recording some tunes. But, you need to buy your first mic. What microphone should you buy as your first mic? We are going to give you four suggestions that you should buy. Each mic recommended will be under 100 bucks(cheap in mic standards) but these mics will also never be outgrown as you progress musically.

Shure SM58-

This mic is the industry standard. It is primary used for vocals. It is perfect for micing live situations but is also very at home in your studio. You can find a new one for sale at any music store for 99 bucks. They are also very commonly found used from 50-80 bucks. These mics are very well built and you should have not issues with a used shure sm58.

Shure sm57

A shure 57 looks a little different from an sm58 but the two are pretty much twins. The inside electronics are the exact same. The difference is the lack of pop filter on the 57. This means where the sm58 is great for vocals the sm57 is great for micing guitar, bass, and instruments. Although the insides are the exact same, you will notice a slight difference in how they sound. This is solely due to the difference in construction of the pop filter.

MXL 990-

These are condenser microphones. If you are going to use one of these mics you need to make sure that you have phantom power. You can always buy a convertor that will provide phantom power but most mixers with XLR inputs will supply phantom power. These mics are the cheapest entry level condensers you can buy yet still have a fairly decent sound. With a price from 50-100 bucks there is no reason why you shouldn’t buy one.

Octavia MK219-

Another condenser mic. These mics are no longer available new but are well worth tracking one down. You can frequently find these at you local used music store just south of 100 bucks. These mics are the best mic you can buy for the money. These mics were made in Russia during the height of communism. The Soviet radio stations needed a cheap high quality microphone that imitated some of the highest prices mics but at a cheap price. The mk219 is what was created.